Belarus to invest in Hanoi bus system

Belarus will assist
Vietnam in building an auto manufacturing plant in Hanoi as a way to reduce the
cost of the buses, said Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko.

He shared the information at a working
session with Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung on March
28, discussing the development of the bus system of the capital city.

In order to increase the rate of people
taking buses to 20 – 22 percent, Hanoi will add and replace 700 – 1,000 buses
and open new routes between now and 2020, Chung informed his guest, saying the
scenario offers good cooperative opportunities for the city and Belarusian auto
manufacturers.

Taking part in the meeting, Director
General of the Hanoi Transport Corporation (Transerco) Nguyen Hoang Trung said Hanoi
put into use 32 buses of 60 seats and 80 seats produced by the Belarusian Minsk
Automobile Plant (MAZ) in 2017.

The buses have proved better quality in
comparison to buses currently operated in the capital, he noted, adding that
their prices are 25 – 40 percent higher than that of similar buses of different
ranges.

Agreeing with Trung’s opinion, the city
leader said Hanoi wants to buy more MAZ buses, even smaller ones.